The objectives of the proposed research are two-fold: first, to identify the social and economic determinants of return migration in the United States and, second, to analyze the potential effects of return migration on contemporary trends in population redistribution. A fuller understanding of how return migration operates would yield insight into the prospective actions of the considerably larger segments of the population who are potential return migrants to somewhere. Generalizations on the following points are sought: (a) the functional types of return migration. What types of return moves is it most useful to distinguish for analytical and empirical purposes? (b) The dynamics of return migration. How do the motives for return migration differ and how are these differences to be interpreted? (c) The distinctive characteristics of return migrants. Do return migrants possess characteristics that distinguish them from other types of migrants? (d) The outcomes of return migration. How is the composition of the labor force affected in the areas to which migrants return? Three different longitudinal data sources will be used in this study: (1) the Social Security Continuous Work History Sample, (2) the Income Dynamics Panel Data, and (3) the "Parnes" National Longitudinal Surveys.